Dolphin Leads Whales Back to Safety in NZ
Today from Reuters came a tale of animal wisdom from one of my favorite places in the world. “Moko the dolphin, a regular visitor to the coast of Mahia on the east Coast of New Zealand’s North Island, became an instant hero after leading two pygmy whales that had repeatedly […]
The Prodigy Who’s Taking Formula One by Storm
I was traveling once with a fun guy named Kevin McCarthy, who with his wife Sue does a weekly travel radio show. I asked him what his favorite sport was, and he replied ‘open wheel racing.’ It took me a second to realize what he was talking about was F1, […]
He Thought They’d Send Him Back–But Was He Ever Wrong!
To Charles Robert Jenkins, five decades of his life were all a mistake. That’s because when at age 20 as a sergeant serving in Korea, he thought if he could just jump over to the North Korean side, they would pick him up and send him back home to North […]
At 80, He Was All A-flutter Over Victoria
In Today’s Daily Mail, I read a long story about the legendary editor and journalist Bill Deedes, who left a trail of stories, a bitter family, and an aura of mystery when he died at 94. His legacy was of an indifferent grandparent, lousy husband, devoted friend and brilliant writer. […]
Battling Snow Rage, Where the Drifts Are Too High
Snow rage…it’s a new term that I found on Reuters today. I well remember walking into the wind, snow blowing so hard when I visited Quebec City in February. From the dispatch… ‘Last Sunday, a man in an upscale Quebec City neighborhood became so upset a woman from a snow […]
There’s a Wheat Shortage, Haven’t You Heard?
Last night at Costco, we heard that they are rationing 50 pound bags of wheat. “If somebody wants to buy more than a few bags, they check to see how many they usually buy and if it’s too high they can’t get it,” the cashier told us. She didn’t know […]
You Play Poker Here, You Buy My Pizza–Or Else!
In Hatfield, there used to be a pizza shop called Mama Maria’s. The owner was in the Daily Hampshire Gazette yesterday after being charged with holding a poker game and wielding a knife when some of the players broke his rules. It was a simple and fair arrangement. They’d play […]
Ideo Field Guides: A Stand-out Among Travel Books
I get sent a lot of stuff because people want us to write about them on the website. As these gifts pile up, I notice clearly the ones that I care about and those that I don’t. I must say that today’s Fedx parcel exceeded my expectations, and both surprised […]
Chasing Battery Life, the Holy Grail of Electric Cars
We turned on the new lights at the cafe this morning, beaming a gloriously bright light at the sleepy hour of 6 am when it still feels like 5 am, dark, cloudy. I hope that when people drive by and see those big lights on they will notice the cafe […]
In Guinea, Students Scramble for Any Available Light
Here is part of an AP story from a while back about how students have to find sources of light to read to study for exams. “CONAKRY, Guinea – The sun has set in one of the world’s poorest nations and as the floodlights come on at G’bessi International Airport, […]
The Battle of the Sexes
Last night we had a battle of the sexes. We are visiting Kent and Lisa and after Kent prepared a lovely dinner for Dennis and Denise and Cindy and I, we took out their new 2008 edition of Trivial Pursuit. This new game has all new questions and some of […]
Can’t Shoot, Doesn’t Play, Gets $44K USC Scholarship Anyway
Off today to New York to see Isabella perform in a play. But first, I’ve gotta share the story from the WSJ about the University of Southern California’s latest and hottest basketball prospect. He’s 5’10”, never played a full season of high school ball, and averaged just 8.6 points a […]
Larry Kelley: Nobody Loves Tweaking Amherst More
Poking around on the collection of Western Mass blogs known as Blognewsnet.com/pioneervalley, I found the very passionate and truly funny blog written by Larry Kelley. Larry and I have known each other, mostly through people we both know in advertising and business, for many years. Like me, he takes this […]
Those Annoying Wool Ads Strike a Chinese Nerve
Today is a gorgeous New England Day, still brisk but the sun pelts down and tries to cheer us up. I was on the phone today with a guy from SF who said he was underneath a lemon tree. With computer problems leaving us one machine short, I headed to […]
Would You Like Some Piercing Noise with your Entree?
We met our friend Chris at the Apollo Bar and Grill last night in Easthampton, and the place was packed. They’ve recently added the word bar to their name, but fortunately, that means only one new TV and like last time, it wasn’t even turned on. We got a good […]
Funding the FARC is Hugo Chavez’ Death Wish
We met a driver during our June trip to Medellin Colombia, who told us he used to have a construction company. They built many of the roads we traveled on. But he lost it all when he had to ransom his brother from the hands of FARC guerillas. This week […]
Mexico’s Problem is Militant Unions, Not NAFTA
Last night I went to bed with the WSJ, astounded by the rich volume of fascinating content from which to draw conclusions and some of which I thought, would make good blogs. One piece by Mary Anastasia O’Grady pointed out what’s good about NAFTA, and why Mexico’s belligerent unions are […]